Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry – serie

Production of food to meet the demands of an ever-increasing human population in the world is the major task and challenge to agriculture today. The conventional methods of plant breeding alone can no longer cope with the situation. The success of any crop improvement program depends on the extent of genetic variability in the base population, but due to denuding of forests and agricultural land, the naturally occurring pool of germplasm is being depleted. An urgent need is therefore ap­ parent to create new variability and increase the genetic base of agricul­ tural crops. Agricultural biotechnology has progressed to a stage in the produc­ tion of plants where specific characteristics to improve their yield, ap­ pearance, disease-resistance, nutritional quality and adaptation to ad­ verse soil conditions can be built into the seed. This concept of built-in quality implies a continuous scientific endeavour to improve plant char­ acters using a wide range of possibilities, and it also implies a scrutiny of the materials and methods available in the world today.

This volume presents 31 chapters on biotechnology of treesand deals with the importance, distribution, conventionalpropagation, micropropagation, review of tissue culturestudies, and recent advances in the in vitro culture andgenetic manipulation of forest, fruit and ornamental trees.

Recent advances in plant cell and molecular biology have opened new avenues for the improvement of crop plants in the genus "Brassica" - oilseeds and vegetables of worldwide economic importance. This volume reviews advances in various areas of "Brassica" biotechnology. It covers the use of rapid-cycle brassicas, tissue culture and gene transfer, molecular genetics, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, and molecular farming. Contributors are world-leading international "Brassica" researchers. The volume is an invaluable reference for plant breeders, researchers and graduate students in the fields of plant biotechnology, agronomy, horticulture, genetics, and cell and molecular biology.

Doubled haploid technology is an important tool for plant breeding. It allows for significant time reduction in the achievement of homozygous breeding lines of value in crop improvement. This volume provides an excellent overview of haploid induction and the application of doubled haploids. The authors emphasize advances made in the understanding of microspore embryogenesis, but treat also advances in gynogenesis and the manipulation of parthenogenetic haploid development.The text contains a thorough discussion of the application of haploidy to the improvement of a number of species from various families, including Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae. The various methods applicable to these species are described in detail. Each chapter contains critical evaluation of the scientific literature and an extensive list of references. This volume is ideally suited for plant breeders, geneticists, and plant cell biologists.

Metabolomics – which deals with all metabolites of an organism – is a rapidly-emerging sector of post-genome research fields. It plays significant roles in a variety of fields from medicine to agriculture and holds a fundamental position in functional genomics studies and their application in plant biotechnology.This volume comprehensively covers plant metabolomics for the first time. The chapters offer cutting-edge information on analytical technology, bioinformatics and applications. They were all written by leading researchers who have been directly involved in plant metabolomics research throughout the world. Up-to-date information and future developments are described, thereby producing a volume which is a landmark of plant metabolomics research and a beneficial guideline to graduate students and researchers in academia, industry, and technology transfer organizations in all plant science fields.

It is our utmost pleasure to present a new book on tobacco BY-2 cells, Tobacco BY-2 Cells: From Cellular Dynamics to Omics, as the 58th volume in the book series Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry (BAF). It represents an ext- sion of the previous book Tobacco BY-2 Cells,vol. 53ofthe BAF. Moreover, the content is rather different from the latter and includes new topics, gleaned from the First International Symposium on Tobacco BY-2 Cells held at the Plant Science Center of the RIKEN, Yokohama, organized by Nagata, Matsuoka and Inze, in September 2004. To this symposium came more than 200 people from different parts of the world to discuss issues. Although most of the contributors to thepreviousvolumeof Tobacco BY-2 Cells gave talks on their subjects, there were many other speakers who presented new topics and approaches. So we enjoyed the symposium very much. Thus we decided to compile a new volume on tobacco BY-2 cells which includes these new topics. In addition, towards the end of the symposium, our common understanding was that the tobacco BY-2 cell system is still important in plant biology, in particular for studying the dynamic features of plant cells. We hope this volume is useful for plant biologists. Contents of the book are as follows: in Chapters I. 1–I. 6, various aspects of the cell cycle and cellular dynamics using BY-2 cells are described. In Ch- ters II. 1–II.

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool for crop improvement. Crop biotechnology before 2001 was reviewed in Transgenic Crops I-III, but recent advances in plant cell and molecular biology have prompted the need for new volumes.Transgenic Crops IV deals with cereals, vegetables, root crops, herbs and spices. Section I is an introductory chapter on the impact of plant biotechnology in agriculture. Section II focuses on cereals (rice, wheat, maize, rye, pearl millet, barley, oats), while Section III is directed to vegetable crops (tomato, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, chickpea, common beans and cowpeas, carrot, radish). Root crops (potato, cassava, sweet potato, sugar beet) are included in Section IV, with herbs and spices (sweet and hot peppers, onion, garlic and related species, mint) in Section V.This volume is an invaluable reference for plant breeders, researchers and graduate students in the fields of plant biotechnology, agronomy, horticulture, genetics and both plant cell and molecular biology.

It is our pleasure to present the 53rd volume of the Biotechnology in Agric- ture and Forestry (BAF) series. This is the second issue of the BAF series edited by the new editorial team consisting of Professors Horst Lorz, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, Jack Widholm, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA,and Toshiyuki Nagata,University of Tokyo,Tokyo,Japan. This series was originally founded by the late Professor Y. P. S. Bajaj,Delhi,India,in 1986. The current volume is somewhat unique, since in this volume only one plant cell line,the tobacco BY-2 cell line,is handled,while previous volumes mainly dealt with plants having certain economical importance. Nonetheless, the three editors of this volume,Professors Dirk Inze,Seiichiro Hasezawa and Toshiyuki Nagata,believe that most scientists who are working in the ?eld of plant s- ences will enjoy seeing this volume as a kind of source book of the unique tobacco BY-2 cells. Indeed,tobacco BY-2 cells have,over the years,gained the status as a model plant system,comparable to HeLa cells for human research. The current book is very timely because a wealth of basic knowledge on plant cells related to,e. g.,cell division,cytoskeleton,cytokinesis,plant hormone s- naling,etc. ,has been gathered from experiments with this cell line. As re?ected in the contents,the accumulated knowledge of the BY-2 cell line is enormous and there is no other cell line that has been so important for progress in the plant sciences. Such knowledge should be shared with scientists from the ?elds of both applied and basic plant science.

This richly illustrated volume describes how somatic hybrids can contribute to the improvement of crops. It comprises 24 chapters dealing with interspecific and intergeneric somatic hybridization and cybridization, providing valuable tools for plant breeders.

This volume highlights achievements in cryopreservation, chronicles method development, and describes relevant literature. The provided detailed information helps practitioners develop and improve methods for desired species. The volume is divided into four parts:I. Cryopreservation of Germplasm;II. Herbaceous Plants: Barley, celery, chamomile, chicory, garlic, ginseng, hop, horseradish, mint, taro, wasabi;III. Woody Species: Coffee, Eucalyptus, guazuma, horse-chestnut, neem, olive, poplar, oak, Prunus, Ribes, rose.IV. Australian Species.Initially, cryopreservation was driven by the concern for loss of diversity of crops essential for continued improvement of the many plants used for food, health, and shelter. The interest has been expanded by conservationists and their concerns for retaining the diversity of natural populations.

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants XII comprises 18 chapters. It deals with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies, and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in the following plants: Artemisia annua, Coriandrum sativum, Crataegus, Dionaea muscipula, Hyoscyamus reticulatus, Hypericum canariense, Leguminosae, Malva, Ocimum, Pergularia tomentosa, Phellodendron amurense, Sempervivum, Solanum aculeatissimum, S. chrysotrichum, S. kasianum, Stephania, Trigonella, and Vaccinium. It is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the fields of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biomedical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general.

Genome sequence studies have become more and more important for plant breeding. "Brassicas and Legumes: From Genome Structure to Breeding" comprises 16 chapters and presents both an overview and the latest results of this rapidly expanding field. The topics covered include: genome analysis of a flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana; the sequence of the Arabidopsis genome as a tool for comparative structural genomics in Brassicaceae; application of molecular markers in Brassica coenospecies; and, the molecular genetic basis of flowering time variation in Brassica species.It also covers topics such as: quantitative trait loci for clubroot resistance in Brassica oleracea; structural differences of S locus between Brassica oleracea and Brassica rapa; Brassica and legume chromosomes; sequence analysis of the Lotus japonicus genome; introduction of an early flowering accession 'Miyakojima' MG-20 to molecular genetics in Lotus japonicus; genetic linkage map of the model legume Lotus japonicus; construction of a high quality genome library of Lotus japonicus; genome analysis of Mesorhizobium loti: a symbiotic partner to Lotus japonicus; molecular linkage map of the model legume Medicago truncatula; genetic mapping of seed and nodule protein markers in diploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa); and, mapping the chickpea (Cicer arietinum) genome: localization of fungal resistance genes in interspecific crosses.

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool for crop improvement. The status of crop biotechnology before 2001 was reviewed in Transgenic Crops I-III, but recent advances in plant cell and molecular biology have prompted the need for new volumes.Following Transgenic Crops IV (2007) dealing with cereals, vegetables, root crops, herbs and spices, this volume, Transgenic Crops V, is devoted to fruit, trees and beverage crops. Fruit crops targeted include banana, citrus, mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, avocado, grape, melon, apple, Prunus spp., strawberry, and kiwifruit, while trees include walnut, rubber, eucalyptus, tropical tree legumes, Casuarina glauca and conifers. The section on beverage crops reports studies on coffee, cacao, tea, and sugarcane.This volume is an invaluable reference for plant breeders, researchers and graduate students in the fields of plant biotechnology, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, genetics, and both plant cell and molecular biology.

Genetic erosions in plant cell cultures, especially in chromosome number and ploidy level, have now been known for over 25 years. Until the mid -1970ssuch changes were consideredundesirable and thereforediscarded because the main emphasis wason clonal propagation and genetic stability of cultures. However, since the publication on somaclonal variation by Larkin and Scowcroft (1981) there has been a renewed interest to utilize these in vitro obtained variations for crop improvement. Studies conduc- ted during the last decade have shown that callus cultures, especially on peridical subculturing over an extended period of time, undergo morpho- logical and genetic changes, i. e. polyploidy, aneuploidy, chromosome breakage, deletions, translocations, gene amplification, inversions, muta- tions, etc. In addition, there are changes at the molecular and biochemical levelsincluding changes in the DNA, enzymes,proteins, etc. Suchchanges are now intentionally induced, and useful variants are selected.For instance in agricultural crops such as potato, tomato, tobacco, maize, rice and sugarcane, plants showing tolerance to a number of diseases, viruses, herbicides and salinity, have been isolated in cell cultures. Likewise induction of male sterility in rice, and wheat showing various levels of fer- tility and gliadin, have been developed in vitro. These academic excercises open new avenues for plant breeders and pathologists. Another area of tremendous commercial importance in the pharmaceuti- cal industry is the selection of cell lines showing high levels of medicinal and industrial compounds. Already high shikonin containing somaclones in Lithospermum are being used commercially.

The incorporation of haploids in breeding programs is one of the latest techniques used for crop improvement. The present volume comprises 30 chapters by international experts and informs on the methods involved, such as in vitro production of haploids by culture of anthers, studies of pollen embryogenesis, genetic analysis of haploids. It also discusses the genetic stability of haploid cell cultures as well as the practical importance of haploids in breeding for the release of new varieties. Results of experiments with wheat, barley, maize, rice, rubber, poplar, apple, litchi, Digitalis, Hyoscyamus, Arabidopsis, asparagus, sugarbeet, cabbage, pepper, carrot, strawberry, Gerbera, sunflower, tomato, alfalfa, winged bean, sugarcane, and Solanum are presented.

This volume contains 37 chapters contributed by international experts. It deals with various aspects of the biotechnology of wheat, including in vitro methods, somatic embryogenesis, micropropagation, wide hybridization and embryo culture, production of haploids and the release of varieties, somaclonal variation and mutations, nutritional improvement, protoplast culture, transient gene expression, and the cryopreservation of germoplasm. Special emphasis has been laid on in vitro production of haploids, somaclonal variation, and wide hybridization. These methods have been sufficiently refined and can now be used by plant breeders to generate genetic variability - a prerequisite for future wheat improvement programmes.

After the 1986 and 1989 volumes, this is the third volume on biotechnology for propagation of trees. Comprising 28 chapters contributed by international experts the book deals with fruit, ornamental, and forest trees, such as Black cherry, Sour cherry, Pomegranate, Loquat, Ficus, Yellow poplar, Horse chestnut, Judas tree, Linden tree, Saskatoons, Taiwan sassafras, Plane-tree, Rattans, Bamboos, Engelmann spruce, White spruce, Larches, Hinoki cypress, Western redcedar, and various types of pines, i.e. Jack, Carribean, Eldarica, Slash, Egg-cone, Maritime, Ponderosa, Eastern white, Loblolly pine. Trees III is an excellent reference book for scientists, educators, and students of forestry, botany, genetics, and horticulture, who are interested in tree biotechnology.

Presenting the state of the art of tissue culture and in vitro propagation of vegetable and tuber crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, fibre and oilseed crops, and grasses, this book complements the previous two volumes on High-Tech and Micropropagation, which concentrated on special techniques (Vol.17) and trees and bushes of commercial value (Vol.18). The specific plants covered here include asparagus, lettuce, horse radish, cucumber, potato, cassava, sweet potato, artichoke, yams, cardamom, fennel, celery, thyme, leek, mentha, turmeric, lavender, agave, yucca, cotton, jute, sunflower, ryegrass, zoysiagrass, and various species of Aconitum, Artemisia, Camelia, Centaurium, Digitalis, Dioscorea, Glehnia, Levisticum, Parthenium, and Pinella. The book is of use to advanced students, teachers and research workers in the field of pharmacy, horticulture, plant breeding and plant biotechnology in general, and also to individuals interested in industrial micropropagation.

In continuation from the previous three volumes 17, 18, and 19 on High-Tech and Micropropagation this volume presents 29 chapters on the propagation of ornamental plants through modern biotechnological methods. The species covered include Alstromeria, Antirrhinum, Begonia, Chrysanthemum, Cornus, Euphorbia, Gardenia, Gladiolus, Hyacinthus, Impatiens, Iris, Lycoris, Nematanthus, Paeonia, Pelargonium, Phalaenopsis, Rhododendron, Ruscus, Saintpaulia, Senecio, Syringa, orchids, cacti, roses, and Boston ferns. In addition, one chapter is devoted to micropropagation of virus-free ornamentals in the CIS. Throughout the book, detailed protocols as well as a comprehensive review of the literature are provided. Advanced students, teachers, and researchers in the fields of floriculture, horticulture, and plant biotechnology in general, and also those interested in industrial or commercial micropropagation will find a wealth of useful information in the book.

27 chapter cover the distribution, economic importance,conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture,and in vitro production of important medicinal andpharmaceutical compounds in various species of Ajuga,Allium, Ambrosia, Artemisia, Aspilia, Atractylodes,Callitris, Choisya, Cinnamomum, Coluria, Cucumis, Drosera,Daucus, Eustoma, Fagopyrum, Hibiscus, Levisticum,Onobrychis, Orthosiphon, Quercus, Sanguinaria, Solanum,Sophora, Stauntonia, Tanecetum, Vetiveria, and Vitis.Like the previous volumes 4, 7, 15, and 21 in theMedicinal and Aromatic Plants series, the volume istailored to the need of advanced students, teachers,and research scientists in the area of plant biotechnologyandbioengineering, pharmacy, botany and biochemistry.

27 chapters cover the distribution, economic importance,conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culturestudies, and in vitro production of important medicinal andother pharmaceutical compounds in various species ofAnchusa, Brucea, Catharanthus, Chrysanthemum, Coleus,Corydalis, Coreopsis, Emilia, Ginkgo, Gloriosa, Hypericum,Inonotus, Leucosceptrum, Lilium, Linum, Mosses, Nandina,Penstemon, Prunus, Pteridium, Quassia, Ribes, Senecio,Taraxacum, Thermopsis, Vanilla, and Vitiveria.Like the previous five volumes on medicinal and aromaticplants (Volumes 4, 7, 15, 21, and 24), this book contains awealth of useful information for advanced students andresearchers in the field of plant biotechnology and chemicalengineering, pharmacy, botany and tissue culture.

Forty chapters deal with various aspects of tissue culture, in vitro manipulation, and other biotechnological approaches to the improvement of maize. They are arranged in eight sections: - In Vitro Technology, Callus Cultures and Regeneration of Plants, Somatic Embryogenesis. - Wide Hybridization, Embryo, Ovule, and Inflorescence Culture, in Vitro Fertilization. - Production of Haploids and Double Haploids, Anther and Pollen Culture. - Protoplast Culture, Genetic Transformation. - Somaclonal Variation and Mutations. - Molecular Biology and Physiological Studies. - Proteins and Nutritional Improvement. Pollen Storage, Cryopreservation of Germplasm.

Fantasies and dreams have their rightful place in science, and sometimes they turn into reality. Regeneration of hybrid plants through protoplast fusion is one such dream come true. In the early 1970s I shared the pioneering excitement in the field of protoplast technology at the Second International Congress of Plant Tissue Culture held in Strasbourg, France. Subsequently, I participated in three international conferences devoted to plant protoplasts, in Salamanca, Spain (1972), Versailles, France (1972), and Nottingham, England (1975). At Versailles Dr. P.S. Carlson presented his work on the successful regeneration of somatic hybrids between Nicotiana glauca and Nicotiana langsdorfii. The enthusi- asm shown by the participants was sufficient indication of the bright future of somatic hybridization. On my return from Versailles, I gathered my thoughts and prepared a concept paper on Potentials of Protoplast Culture Work in Agriculture which was published in Euphytica (Bajaj 1974). The studies on protoplast fusion and somatic hybridization then gained momentum and active work started in many laboratories. Very significant work was done by Melchers et al.(1978) who obtained a somatic hybrid between potato and tomato, calling it "Pomato".

In continuation of Volumes 8, 9, 22, and 23, this new volume deals with the regeneration of plants from isolated protoplasts and genetic transformation in various species of Actinidia, Allocasuarina, Anthurium, Antirrhinum, Asparagus, Beta, Brassica, Carica, Casuarina, Cyphomandra, Eucalyptus, Ipomoea, Larix, Limonium, Liriodendron, Malus, Musa, Physcomitrella, Physalis, Picea, Rosa, Tagetes, Triticum, and Ulmus. These studies reflect the far-reaching implications of protoplast technology in genetic engineering of plants. The book contains a wealth of useful information for advanced students, teachers, and researchers in the field of plant tissue culture, molecular biology, genetic engineering, plant breeding, and general biotechnology.

While working in the laboratory of Professor Dr. Jacob Reinert at the Freie Universitat Berlin (1974-1976), I had the opportunity to become deeply involved in studying the intricacies of the fascinating phenomenon of somatic embryogenesis in plant cells and protoplasts. In numerous stimu­ lating discussions with Professor Reinert on this subject, I was fully convinced that somatic embryogenesis would become one of the most important areas of study, not only regarding basic and fundamental aspects, but also for its application in crop improvement. During the last decade, we have witnessed tremendous interest and achievements in the use of somatic embryos for the production of synthetic seeds, for micro­ propagation, genetic transformation, cryopreservation, and conservation of germplasm. The en masse production of somatic embryos in the bioreactors has facilitated some of these studies. Somatic embryos have now been induced in more than 300 plant species belonging to a wide range offamilies. It was therefore felt that a compilation ofliterature/state of the art on this subject was necessary. Thus, two volumes on Somatic Embryo­ genesis and Synthetic Seed have been compiled, which contain 65 chapters contributed by International experts. Somatic Embryogenesis and Synthetic Seed I comprises 31 chapters, arranged in 3 sections: Section I Commitment of the cell to somatic embryogenesis; early events; anatomy; molecular basis; gene expression; role of polyamines; machine vision analysis of somatic embryos. Section II Applications of somatic embryos; technology of synthetic seed; fluid drilling; micropropagation; genetic transfor­ mation through somatic embryos; cryopreservation.

Whole plants have been regenerated from isolated protoplasts, cells, tissues, and organs freeze-preserved in liquid nitrogen. Thus cryopreservation has proved to be an important tool for the storage and conservation of plant genetic resources. Numerous experts have contributed to this volume, which is divided into the following sections: General introduction into the cryopreservation of plant cells, tissues, organs and seeds; trees; cereals and grasses; legumes and oilseed crops; fruits, vegetables, tuber and root crops; medicinal, aromatic and ornamental plants.

This series ofbooks on the biotechnology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants provides a survey of the literature focusing on recent information and the state of the art in tissue culture and the in vitro production of secondary metabolites. This book, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants VIII, like the previous seven volumes published in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1994, is unique in its approach. It comprises 26 chapters dealing with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Achillea, Anethum, Aquilaria, Arnica, Aspergillus, Astragalus, Catalpa, Chelidonium, Eremo- phila, Eucalyptus, Eucommia, Geranium, Heterocentron, Hypericum, Maclura, Morinda, Mortierella, Nicotiana, Phaseolus, Pinellia, Piqueria, Psorales, Rhodiola, Sanguisorba, Valeriana, and Vancouveria. This book is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the field of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biochemical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general. New Delhi, July 1995 Professor Y. P. S.BAJAJ Series Editor Contents I Achillea millefolium L. ssp. millefolium (Yarrow): In Vitro Culture and Production of Essential Oils A. C. FIGUEIREDO, M. S. S. PAIS, and J. J. c. SCHEFFER (With 9 Figures) 1 Introduction...1 2 In Vitro Culture Studies ...4 3 Ultrastructural Study of the Glandular Trichomes and Cell Suspension Cultures ...8 4 Composition of the Essential Oils of A. millefolium In Vivo and In Vitro ...11 5 Summary and Conc1usion ...15 6 Protocol ...15 References ...17 II Anethum graveolens L.

Plant protoplasts have proved to be an excellent tool for in vitro manipu- lations, somatic hybridization, DNA uptake and genetic transformation, and for the induction of somaclonal variation. These studies reflect the far- reaching impact of protoplast alterations for agriculture and forest bio- technology. Taking these aspects into consideration, the series of books on Plant Protoplasts and Genetic Engineering provides a survey of the litera- ture, focusing on recent information and the state of the art in protoplast Plant Protoplasts manipulation and genetic transformation. This book, and Genetic Engineering VI, like the previous five volumes published in 1989,1993, and 1994, is unique in its approach. It comprises 27 chapters dealing with the regeneration of plants from protoplasts, and genetic transformation in various species of Arachis, Bupleurum, Capsella, Dendrobium, Dianthus, Diospyros, Fagopyrum, Festuca, Gentiana, Glycyrrhiza, Gossypium, Hemerocallis, Levisticum, Lonicera, Musa, Physallis, Platanus, Prunus, Saposhnikovia, Solanum, Spinacia, Trititrigia, Tulipa, and Vaccinium; including fruits such as apricot, banana, cranberry, pepino, peach, and plum.This book may be of special interest to advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the field of plant tissue culture, molecular biology, genetic engineering, plant breeding, and general bio- technology. New Delhi, August 1995 Professor Y. P. S. BAJA] Series Editor Contents Section I Regeneration of Plants from Protoplasts 1. 1 Regeneration of Plants from Protop1asts of Arachis Species (Peanut) Z. LI, R. L. JARRET, and J. W. DEMSKI (With 2 Figures) 1 Introduction ...3 2 Isolation of Pro top lasts ...4 3 Culture of Protoplasts ...

This book Trees IV, like the previous volumes (Trees I, II, III published in 1986, 1989, 1991, respectively), is special in its approach. It elucidates the case history and biotechnology of individual fruit, forest, and ornamental trees, and discusses the present state of the art, with particular reference to in vitro propagation. It comprises 24 chapters contributed by international experts, and deals with the importance, distribution, conventional propa- gation, micropropagation, review of tissue culture studies, and recent advances in the in vitro culture and genetic manipulation of various species of Acrocomia, Ailanthus, Anacardium, Allocasuarina, Carya, Casuarina, Coffea, Cyphomandra, Feijoa, Fraxinus, Gymnocladus, Leptospermum, Fagus, Metroxylon, Oxydendrum, Paeonia, Paulownia, Pouteria, Psidium, and Quercus. Included are also five chapters on gymnosperm trees, such as Abies jraseri, Cephalotaxus harringtonia, Pinus durangensis, P. gregg ii, P. halepensis, P. pinea, and Tetraclinis articulata.Trees IV is a valuable reference book for scientists, teachers, and students of forestry, botany, genetics, and horticulture, and all those who are interested in the biotechnology of trees. New Delhi, March 1996 Professor y. P. S. BAJAJ Series Editor Contents Section I Angiosperm Trees 1. 1 Acrocomia Species (Macauba Palm) O. l. CROCOMO and M. MELO (With 8 Figures) 1 General Account ...3 2 Chemical Composition ...5 3 Genetics and Crop Improvement 9 4 In Vitro Culture Studies 10 5 Industrial Utilization ...14 6 Lauric Acid ...15 7 Summary and Conclusions 15 References ...16 1. 2 Ailanthus altissima Mill. Swingle (Tree of Heaven) M. ZENKTELER and B.